Beth Camp Historical Fiction

Tuesday, April 02, 2013

B is for Blur . . .

"Blur"

You could not see his face
for you met on the internet.
His words drew you in,
until you were nearly lost in love,
words tumbling between you.
He lived somewhere
between London and Norway;
He searched for someone exactly like you,
offering love, marriage, a new life together.
I broke the bond.
An internet search brought
multiple photos, different names, and
the same fractured syntax, with stories
of other women like you:
One waited at the airport with her three children
for a lover who never arrived; another mortgaged her home.
You are safe for the moment.
Even face-to-face, we do not know each other.
We are but a blur in the cosmos,
vulnerable to our half-articulated hopes and dreams.
We say there are no easy answers, no easy
connections, but one day, you may yet find
that companion of your heart.

Older, newly widowed women who use the internet are particularly vulnerable to such scams. This happened to someone dear to me. If you have any doubts about someone you meet on line, do a key word search on Google, phrases, names, even photos. Check out this background article on Wikipedia which suggests a predictable pattern of establishing trust, 'grooming' the mark, and asking for money. If you are drawn into an online friendship and are asked for money, follow that old truism, "Trust but verify." Consider checking names, photos, or text on romancescam.comToday's poem falls under the umbrella of the 'A-Z Challenge' and NaPoWriMo -- to write a poem a day in April, National Poetry Month.

European Bee-eaters (Wikipedia)
Note the female in the front who waits for the male's offering.